Today, however, in those places in which abortion is legal, it is considered to be among the safest of all surgical procedures.
Medical abortion is one that is brought about by taking medications that will end a pregnancy. The alternative is surgical abortion, which ends a pregnancy by emptying the uterus (or womb) with special instruments. A medical abortion is usually done without entering the uterus. Either of two medications, methotrexate or mifepristone, can be used or medical abortion. Each of these medications is taken together with another medication, misoprostol, to induce on abortion.
The cost of an early, outpatient abortion usually ranges from $200 to $400. Later abortions are somewhat more complicated and cost approximately $400-700 between the 13th and 16th week; after that, the cost goes up about $100/week. The exact cost of an abortion depends on many factors, such as how far along the pregnancy is, the kind of procedure and anesthetic that are used (see Factsheet: What Is Surgical Abortion?), and the kind of facility (clinic, physician's office, or hospital). Other costs might result if care is not available locally. These might include travel costs, costs for overnight stays, or lost wages in states requiring waiting periods between pre-abortion counselling and the abortion itself. .
Suction, or vacuum aspiration, is used in the first trimester (up to 12 weeks). Introduced in China in 1958, vacuum aspiration was soon replaced the traditional early-abortion procedure, dilation and curettage (D&C), in which the curette is used to dislodge the foetus. When performed under proper clinical conditions, first-trimester abortions are relatively simple and safe. Pregnancies in the earlier parts of the 2nd trimester may be terminated by a special suction curettage, sometimes combined with forceps, in a procedure called dilation and evacuation (D&E).
The practice of abortion was widespread in ancient times as a method of birth control.